Stay Informed

How We’re Making San Diego County Work For All Families

June 02, 2017

Ask yourself: What kind of San Diego County do you want for your family?

One with safe and clean neighborhoods, with open spaces for our children to play? One with a right to healthcare? One where no one is homeless or forced to live in poverty? One where everyone has a chance to build a healthy and safe future?

As people of faith, we believe in this potential for equality. By building power in our communities, we create justice on earth as it is in heaven.

To make our vision a reality, we've joined forces with local partners to influence change at the San Diego County level. Now, we're a proud member of Invest in San Diego Families.

What is Invest in San Diego Families?

Invest in San Diego Families is a two-year-old coalition of community groups, local organizations, working families and others who challenge San Diego County to invest its budget in services and communities that create a home that works for everyone.

Why should anyone care about the San Diego County budget?

As taxpayers, we deserve a say in how our money is spent.

Right now, San Diego County has $1.6 billion of our tax dollars sitting in the bank - unused. That's three times more than financial experts recommend for a "rainy day fund." For our communities that struggle without affordable housing, decent jobs and services we need - it's officially raining. We need a budget that invests in families -- not sitting on a surplus, waiting for a better use of money that our communities have paid, and now need.

What does Invest in San Diego Families want?

Invest in San Diego Families is united in a vision of ensuring that all our families San Diego County can thrive. Our efforts are built around three intersecting and interconnected buckets of work:

The Safety Ladder

Transforming the safety net into a safety ladder that helps people climb out of poverty and despair through full enrollment and funding for health care, mental health, nutrition, housing and jobs programs that are accessible to all residents of San Diego.

Smart Justice

Moving from the ineffective justice system based on reactive punitive practices to a system that funds and supports education, proactive engagement, mental health and drug treatment, rehabilitation and full reintegration into our communities.

Good Jobs for All

San Diego County directly employs more than 20,000 people. But the County's impact is much broader than that, through sub-contracting, outsourcing, grants and other areas, the County is responsible for the employment of tens of thousands more. We are committed to making sure that all workers in San Diego receive living wages and have the health care, retirement and other benefits that ensure a vibrant and healthy economy.

Will you join us?

Make your voice heard at the County Budget Hearing. This is our chance to tell the County Board of Supervisors our tax dollars should put families first.